Western Hunting Question

I live in Co and we have the dark timber hunters those guys might use a 30-30 open sights then we have guys that hunt the edges of the timber and some of the more open timber. The more open shooting is below the timber and down to the winter range were I hunt

The timber I get in is walking to get above timberline couple years ago I was walking in at first light got my bull about 50yds. Some of the problems we have now is with all the beetle kill got lot of timber down. Forest Service been trying to clear about 30/40yd each side of some roads were I hunt but still need to have chain saw along in the truck.

I've seen few of the hunting shows sure make it look easy.
 
When buying a range finder make sure

it is one of the models with "angle compensation". Otherwise that cosine thing that Art mentioned will come into play and your range finder will still give you a straight line reading rather than a "bullet distance" reading.

Okay, that still sounds confusing so here's a tip to an easier understanding. Use your favorite search engine (I have good success with google) and search for "Pythagoreum Theorum". In a short time you will learn all about right triangles and uphill or down hill angles.

As Art also pointed out, unless you are talking about ranges beyond 200 yds, it really doesn't matter.
 
Heck, buy a cheap plastic protractor and carry it out in the boonies and get a feel for what different angles look like. And, I've found that my fairly inexpensive Bushnell 800 range finder is spot-on to 800 yards. Learn that the cosine of 30º is 0.866 or 87% of the angle-distance, and that 0.7071 is 71% of the angle-distance.

0.866 is the square root of three divided by two; 0.7071 is the square root of two divided by two. But y'all remember that from high school Trig, right? A 30º triangle's sides are 1, 2 and the square root of three; so, hypotenuse divided by the near side (2) = 0.866. Ain't that easy? Similarly, for 45º it's 1, 1 and the square root of two. Everybody knows that the square root of two is 1.41421.

There's gonna be a test, next period.

"Homework" is whut I calls it. :) Beats nattering on the Internet. :D
 
I also follow the "don't leave hair" method and it works.....
I sight my .270 in about 3" high at 100 yards and out past 400 even on an antelope your still dropping into the butter zone.
 
If your shot is less than 300yds angle doesn't make much difference.

If you see a deer further away than that, sneak up a little closer.
 
Also remember that a 30° angle is a VERY severe angle.

If your horizontal distance is 200 yards, then for a 30° up angle, the animal would be 100 yards above you! Because the horizontal distance looks shorter to your eye than the vertical distance, most people greatly overestimate the upward angle.

I say K.I.S.S. (at least for myself) and simply say, if it's REALLY far away, and if it's REALLY high above me (or below) then hold a few inches lower.
 
Ince upon a time, back in the dark ages, they taught something called geometry in school. Never had a whole lot of use for it, except for shooting, and building stuff.

You don't have to get all involved with sine, cosin and tangent etc., just remember the right triangle rule. Uphill or downhill line of sight forms the long side of the rt triangle (hypoteneuse), and while that is the actual distance your bullet will travel, the effect of gravity on that bullet is the distance of one of the shorter sides.

Thats why you aim low, because the bullet "thinks" the distance is less.

In the classic 3,4,5 rt triangle, 5 is the sight distance, but gravity's effect on the bullet will only be the 3, or 4, depending on the angle.

So, if you aim for a 500yd shot, but the bullet only drops the amount of a 400yd (or 300) distance, you could miss. And this is for deer size game.

If you are shooting smaller critters (varmints) knowing precise distance and angle becomes critical. 2" off in elevation might not matter in the boiler room of a deer, but could be a clean miss on a marmot.

And then, there is the wind....but that's another subject entirely.;)
 
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